40 Weeks
by ImJudyGarland
Summary: 40 weeks in 4D. How will Nick and Jess handle the months leading up to their unexpected blessed event?
1. Chapter 1

She knew exactly when it happened. September 17, 9:32pm. She knew because as she collapsed in an exhausted heap next to NIck on his bed, she had turned her head and her eyes caught the bright red numbers on his digital clock. 9:32pm. That's when her passion crazed mind had begun to relax back into rational thought. _No condom. No condom, and two days of missed white pills._ Nick laid his head down on her stomach and held her as he fell into a deep, satisfied sleep. Jess lay quietly, listening to him breathe, and trying not to panic. _It's okay. It was only two days. What are the chances?_ She spent an hour talking herself into calm, running her fingers through Nick's hair, then finally allowing herself to sleep.

The next morning when she woke up, her first thought was, _get a test._ She immediately dismissed the thought. This is ridiculous. Less than twelve hours later, and she was already imagining herself lying screaming on a hospital bed, clutching her abdomen, while Nick stood on the sidelines looking terrified and confused. Nick still slept soundly across her belly, oblivious to the private hell she was enduring. She carefully slid her body out from under him and to the side of the bed.

She took soft footsteps into her room and booted up her laptop. She needed answers. After a few searches she ended up at . The first image was a close up of a woman's wide, desperate eyes. _Nice_. She clicked through to a FAQ page.

_How soon can you know if you're pregnant?_

Jess clicked the link._ 7-10 days, or after your first missed period_. She let out a heavy sigh. Of course it wasn't going to be possible to tell the morning after.

_Failed birth control?_

She clicked it. _Oral contraceptives may fail if at least 2 or more days are missed within a cycle. _Crap. _Pregnancy may occur if alternative or back up methods are not used._ Damn._ Ovulation/Conception._ _There is a 5-7 day period in which a woman will ovulate, or be fertile, and may become pregnant._

She sat still and tried to breathe. All the technical language was starting to make her head swim. Suddenly she felt hands on her shoulders, and she jumped up and spun around. Nick laughed, "Jess? What...what is wrong with you? Are you okay?"

Jess reached behind her and snapped her laptop shut and turned back around to him. "What? Me? No, I'm fine. Great. Wonderful. I was just, uh, checking the weather for today." Nick gave her a half smile, "Well, Jess, since this is L.A., I'm gonna take a wild guess and say, sunny and 75."

Jess let out a high pitched laugh, "Hahaha, right, of course. You're right. I just, uh, heard a crazy rumor at school that we were gonna get snow flurries this morning. Weird, right? Yeah, well, I'm gonna go take a shower."

Nick stood looking confused as Jess practically ran down the hall to the bathroom and slammed the door. He shrugged his shoulders. _I'll never understand those women._

Jess stood in front of the mirror, holding on to the sink._ Stop it, Jess, he's gonna get suspicious. He doesn't need to know about this yet. I don't need to be dealing with a frantic, freaked out Nick right now. _This was insane. The stars would have to be severely misaligned and out of her favor for her to actually be pregnant now. She got into the shower and let the warm water calm her down. I'm_ not pregnant. Now stop worrying._

Determined to put it out of her mind, she went about the rest of her morning activities. Whenever she would start to think of it again, she would just move on to another busy-project. School, classes, parent/teacher conferences, after school tutoring and Nick kept her busy for the next two weeks. She let the question slip to the back of her mind and allowed it to almost disappear there. _I'll just be much more careful from now on, that's all_.

Everything seemed to return to normal. Two weeks later, things were still good. Two weeks after that, the constant nausea started to take hold, and the nerves from that first morning started to resurface. A week after that, and she found herself standing in front of her mirror again, holding a white stick. A stick with a red plus sign that was going to completely turn her life around.


	2. Chapter 2

The bar had just closed for the night. Nick sat next to Jess in their booth in the back, staring straight ahead, unmoving. Jess sat still and waited. She knew Nick. She knew he needed time to process and adjust to the shock of what she had just said to him. He appeared catatonic, but she resisted the urge to panic at his reaction. Or non-reaction. After several minutes, his eyes moved over to her face, then his head followed. He let out a small cough, then cleared his throat. He laughed quickly then let out a pent up breath.  
"Okay. So. You're...you are..."

"Pregnant. Yes, I'm pregnant." Jess scooted a little closer and put her hand on top of his. "Nick, I know, it's sudden. And unexpected. And terrifying. And I am fully expecting a Nick Miller freak out here, and that's okay. This is definite freak-out information. I went a little "girl interrupted" myself when I found out. It's fine, maybe even healthy to just let it out. Really, Nick, just...go nuts." She sat back and turned her body to face him.

Nick looked down at her hand on his and ran his tongue along his bottom lip, his breathing shallow and ragged.

Jess watched him carefully, fully prepared for the crazed, ranting explosion of emotions she could feel brewing under the surface. But what happened next, she was not at all prepared for.

Nick suddenly grabbed her face and crashed his lips onto her shocked, open mouth. Jess sat limp in the booth as he kissed her passionately, sliding his hands down to her hips and pulling her body quickly up against his. Stunned, she sat still and just let him kiss her, allowing his tongue to tangle with hers, allowing his hands to reach behind and grip her ass tightly. His mouth broke abruptly away from her with a suction-cup effect, his forehead pressing firmly onto hers, his eyes roaming around her confused face.

He spoke against her lips in a low whisper, "You're pregnant. With my baby. You are having my baby." Nick moved in and heatedly took possession of her mouth again. Jess felt her head spinning at this almost ridiculous display of emotion. Not knowing what else to do, she kissed him back, letting him mold her body to his, his hands rubbing up and down her back, a loud moan escaping from his throat.

Their lips pulled apart and he leaned back and locked his eyes onto hers. "I'm sorry, Jess. I'm not crazy. Really. I know you expected me to be upset about this. But I'm not. In fact, it's actually...just...really hot. Is that weird? Man, that's really weird isn't it? I'm a total lunatic. I can't explain it, Jess. I just feel...good. I feel really, really good." He dove in for another hot kiss, and this time, Jess matched his passion, grabbing his arms and pulling herself up against him as he moved to attack her neck, sucking the delicate skin there. She moaned at the feel of his tongue running along her collarbone.

Nick started to move out of the booth, dragging her trembling body along with him. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him as he placed sloppy kisses across her shoulder, Jess running her hands through his hair. He steered them toward the bar, and he dropped forcefully down behind it, pulling her to the floor there with him.

~N/J~

Jess lay on the hard wood floor behing the bar, her bare body trembling madly, as she tried to come down from the insane trip to Crazytown on which Nick had just taken her. Nick lay next to her, himself trying to recover.

"Jess. I just...wow. I don't even really know what to say about what just happened here. Cue up Muse, cuz that was just...madness. That is like the most horrible reaction anyone could have had to the most serious conversation that most people ever have in their lives. I'm so sorry Jess."

Jess turned over and put her arm under her head, taking in the naked man laying on the floor next to her. She laughed out loud and and touched his cheek with her free hand, gently caressing it. "Nick, it's okay. Compared to what I was expecting, this was actually kind of amazing."

Nick gazed back at her, what she could only describe as a slow joy taking over his face. "So, I guess you could say that it seems I am good with this situation. You, me, having a baby." He said it in an almost sing-song voice.

Jess cracked up at his unexpected enthusiasm. "Seems like it. So, this is happening. Nick Miller is going to be a father, and he is actually laying here all giddy about it? This has got to be the craziest, most off the wall dream I have ever had. Okay, I'm gonna wake up in a minute and you're gonna make me eggs and then we'll laugh about all this, right?"

She bit her bottom lip and watched as his face closed in on hers and he brushed his lips against hers with aching sweetness. "Can't belive I'm gonna say this. Not a fan of movies like this, but here goes. If this is a dream, kind of don't wanna wake up."


	3. Chapter 3

Jess sat on the exam table in Sadie's office, waiting. She glanced at Nick and nervously adjusted the pink medical gown, crossing and uncrossing her ankles. After the inital shock of Nick's passionate reaction to her news, she wasn't entirely sure of what to expect from him here. She could see him panic moonwalking out the emergency door just as easily as she could see him jumping her bones.

"Nick? Are you okay? I know how you feel about doctors. I just want to say I'm really glad you're here." She smiled as he looked up and met her eyes. She saw love there. And strength.

"Jess, I'm good. Really. You don't have to worry about me. I know I've been a little...unpredictable in my responses to this thing, but I'm here for you. You can count on me."

The night before, Nick had walked into the loft with three large bags and dumped the contents on the kitchen table. Jess had grasped her cup of tea tighter and eyed the mound of books in front of her. _So You're Knocked Up! Now What?, Natural Childbirth: Get Ready for Some Screamin', Mojo Mamas: Animal Style._ Jess picked up the last one and gave Nick a look. "Nick, this one is not about pregnancy." Nick had quickly grabbed it, and laughed innocently. "Look at that! Huh. But, uh...maybe we could still take a look at it later...?"

Sadie walked in the office and went over to Jess, giving her a quick hug. "Jess, hey! Sorry about the wait. I've been slammed with a bunch of new referrals all week. Nick, good to see you again."

Nick nodded and smiled, not quite knowing what to say, but anxious to get confirmation of what they already knew. At least he thought they knew. _Oh man, what if the test was wrong? Was that possible? _Nick sat quiet and considered the possibility. They both had had a few days to get used to the idea of a baby, he wasn't sure how he would feel if it turned out differently.

"So, the labs you had done yesterday are back. You are pregnant."

Jess took a deep breath and caught Nick's eye. He looked relieved, and happy. She let her gaze drop to her hands, feeling an odd mixture of emotions. Not sure what to say, she stayed quiet and let Sadie continue.

"So what we'll do today is do an exam, and an ultrasound. I'll get a medical history, and we'll just talk a little about what you can expect the next few months. The ultrasound will tell us how many weeks along you are,"

Jess spoke immediately after her, "Six weeks. I'm six weeks." She looked at the ceiling and breathed out a slow breath, "September 17, 9:32pm."

Sadie looked from Jess over to Nick. He laughed nervously and shot her an embarrassed look. Sadie continued, "Wow. Well that's, uh...that's very specific. I gotta say not many people come in here with information that precise. But I'm not gonna ask for the details. Let's go ahead and do your exam. Uh, would you like Nick to leave? He can stay if he wishes, but it's really up to you."

Jess looked over at NIck again for reassurance, "Uh, yeah, we already talked about this. He's gonna stay."

Nick sat silent for a minute, then coughed and spoke up, "Yeah, definitely. I'm staying. Definitely." When they had talked the night before, he told her how much he wanted to be in on every part of this. Knowing his history in clinical settings, and what she knew was likely to happen at a pregnancy visit, she wasn't so sure, but agreed that she wanted him there too.

Nick sat down in a nearby chair, focusing hard on a large poster of a mother holding her newborn child, trying not to see what was happening a few feet away. The words _fantasy and nightmare colliding_ kept running repeatedy through his head. After the exam, Sadie gave him the all clear.

"So, now we'll do the ultrasound. Nick, you can come on over with Jess now."

Nick slowly rose and tentatively walked to Jess' side, taking her hand and squeezing it, trying to comfort her and also in an attempt to calm his own nerves.

Jess sat with a blanket over her legs. Sadie squeezed a cool gel on Jess' stomach, "This is gonna be a little cold." Jess flinched a little, then tried to relax as Sadie ran the ultrasound wand around her abdomen.

They all kept their eyes on the monitor, Nick and Jess trying make some kind of images appear out of all the squiggly lines. A few minutes later they heard a low, thumping sound. Sadie kept her eyes on the screen, "There's the heartbeat. And that right there, that's your baby."

NIck and Jess both sat in silence, eyes glued to the monitor. Jess let our a soft sob and Nick held her hand tighter and looked over at her with blurry eyes. Still unsure of her feelings, she laughed softly and rested her heart on the look of wonder on his face.

Sadie took several screen shots for them, making extra copies for both of them. "Well, Jess, I'm gonna say you are probably about six weeks, so that was some pretty good math homework you did. Still too soon to know the sex, but everything looks great. I'm gonna give you some information to take home. There are some really great websites out there for pregnant women on what to expect and how to stay healthy."

~N/J~

Jess pulled out her most comfortable pajama set from her dresser drawer and slid it on over her tired, freshly showered body. She couldn't get over how exhausted she was lately. Sadie had assured her that was completely normal. Nick sat propped up at the top of her bed, reading one of the pamplets Sadie had given them, eyes wide.

"Hey Jess, I don't wanna scare ya or anything, but there's some really crazy stuff in these papers. One word I will definitely not be googling is _afterbirth_. Sounds pretty graphic."

Jess climbed up next to him, yawned deeply and leaned against the headboard. "Wooow, Nick. Please don't ever say that word again." He looked at her and laughed. "Fair enough."

"Nick, how are we gonna tell Schmidt and Winston. This affects them too, and we can't put it off forever. I can't keep telling them I got _another_ case of food poisoning from that Thai restaurant. They're gonna catch on."

Nick leaned down and rested his head on her stomach, avoiding the subject. Jess ran her hand gently through his hair. "In a couple months we might be able to feel the baby move." He squinted his eyes and strained his ears hard against her belly, like he was trying to hear the ocean in a sea shell. "Yeah, I got nothing."

Jess stayed quiet. Nick knew something was up. He knew Jess. She was dealing with some pretty heavy emotions. He needed to know what she was thinking. "Jess. You can talk to me you know. I know you're going through a lot since all of this started. I don't want to pressure you, but if you wanna talk, I'm here."

Nick sat up next her her, resting the side of his head against the wall and watched as sudden, silent tears ran down her cheeks. He didn't say anything, he just took her hand in his, running his thumb in circles on her palm, and let her cry.

After several minutes, Jess turned toward him. "Nick, I'm not unhappy. That's not what this is. Please don't misunderstand. I've just been feeling a lot of things. Worry, and joy, and nervousness, and excitement. And I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Nick. What if I can't do this? What if something goes wrong during the pregnancy? I've been scared to tell you all this, because you have seemed so happy and so sure of yourself." Jess took a slow, wobbly breath.

Nick put his arms around her and pulled her head down to his shoulder. "Jess, it's alright. Everything you're feeling is totally normal. I've done a lot of reading lately and pregnant women go through a lot of emotional changes. I just don't want you trying to do this alone. I'm scared too. I've been fighting all my natural impulses to overthink things and just kind made up my mind to go with the flow."

Jess pulled her head back and looked at him sideways. He laughed at her skeptical look.

"I know, I know, totally un-Nick-like. But finding out I'm about to be a father has given me this knew kind of, focus I guess you could call it. You are the most important thing now. There is nothing else for me now except you and the baby. Do you understand? I want you to relax and just be and feel whatever you need to right now."

Nick got quiet. "Hey Jess? When we were at the doctor's, I was thinking, what if the home test was wrong, and Sadie had told us that you were't pregnant?"

Jess looked at him with wide eyes. "Honestly, Nick, I don't know."

Nick brought her hand up to his mouth and pressed his lips to her fingers. "I think I would have been devastated. I know we talked about how hard this will be, but that moment made me realize, I want to be a dad."

Jess looked at him through watery eyes and quirked up her mouth into a half smile.

"It sounds crazy, right? Nick Miller psyched to change diapers! What?" He held her hand against his cheek and whispered, "But this is you we're talking about here. It just seems less scary when I realize I'm doing this with you. I want to play Barbies with a little girl with dark hair and bright blue eyes. Or I wanna watch a little guy with messy brown hair play little league, while I yell at the ref to keep his damn eyes open."

Jess shifted closer to Nick, exhaustion overwhelming her. Starting to drift off to sleep against his shouder, she whispered, "I want that too."


	4. Chapter 4

Jess and Nick sat nervously at dining room table. Schmidt and Winston sat opposite them, waiting. Nick had called a loft meeting. The fact that it was the middle of the week aroused some suspicion. Long ago Schmidt had designated weekends as the appropriate days to be used for meetings, "pipe-talk" and announcements in general.

Nick took a deep breath and started, "Look guys, there's something that me and Jess need to discuss with you both. There's been a _development_, and we need to finally get it out in the open."

Schmidt interrupted him, "I'm gonna stop you right there, Nick. I know exactly what this is about, and let me just say that the communal use of ice cream toppings for bedroom activities is both unfair and unhygenic. I'm gonna suggest that we invest in a label maker and buy our _own_ supplies separately from now on. This will save us all from cross-contamination of bodily fluids, and also from the embarrassment of running out of hot fudge in the middle of amorous activities."

Jess put her head down in her arms on the table and groaned. The horrified look on Nick's face spoke for itself. "Ok, Schmidt first of all...JAR. And secondly, that is so NOT what I was talking about."

Winston shook the sickened look off his face, "Ok, so what IS going on then, NIck? You know I've cut way back on complaints about you and Jess and your bedroom volume. Thanks for working with me on my adjusted work schedule by the way. I hardly ever hear Jess screaming for mercy from the 'The Mighty Kong' anymore."

Nick swiped his hand over his face, rubbing it wearily. Jess leaned closer to him, putting her hand around his arm, gently squeezing it. He looked at her sideways and smiled. She smiled back. They were in this together. They could do this.

Jess got up and walked around the table to the edge of the couch. Nick followed and leaned against the couch beside her, grasping her hand. Jess held on to it as tight as she could.

"Well, the thing is...I'm pregnant. I am pregnant. Nick and I are going to have a baby."

Jess and Nick both scanned Schmidt and Winston's faces, bracing themselves for the onslaught of _World War 3 in 4D._

"This is fantastic!" Schmidt ran to Jess and grabbed her into a bear hug. Jess let her arms flop to her sides, stunned at this unexpected reaction from him.

Nick stood beside Jess, his mouth hung open in shock. When he and Jess had discussed breaking the news to the guys, they had run through every possible scenario/defensive attack plan to whatever opposition they were going to get from Schmidt. Once again, Jess was dumbfounded at a completely different response to her pregnancy news.

"Schmidt, you do understand what I just said right? I'm pregnant, I'm with child. Nick and I are having a baby?" She repeated herself, unable to believe what she had said had actually registered in his mind. This was nowhere near what they had expected.

"Of course, guys! There's going to be a little bubala in the loft! Wow, Jess, I gotta say, I am just so excited. And Nick! A father? Guess you had probably had a Nick Miller freak out of gargantuan proportions, no?" Schmidt laughed and lunged at Nick, grabbing his face and slamming a hard Fredo kiss on him.

Nick forcefully pushed him off and wiped at his mouth, disgusted.

Winston appeared surprised, but also surprisingly calm. "Wow. I have to admit, I did not see that one coming. But, yeah, it's kind of exciting. Growing up, I had a lot of brothers and sisters, so it seemed there was always a new one on the way. I sort of missed that."

Schmidt interrupted, letting out all the pent up energy he suddenly felt at this news. "Jess, I just wanna say, I am here for you. Friend, birthing coach, midwife. That's right, I took a post college course in midwifery, and I know everything about childbirth from morning sickness to mucous plug. Whatever you need, I'm there."

Nick and Jess looked at each other again, trying to make themselves buy into this mellow new verison of Schmidt. And at the same time totally freaked out that Schmidt would think for one second that she would allow him to birth her child.

"So, you're both okay with this? I'm glad, really, but haven't you thought at all about the mess a baby will create in the loft, Schmidt? We'll have to childproof, which will mean putting some things around here in storage, or really just getting rid of them." Jess looked at him again skeptically.

"Absolutely Jess! I am more than happy to take over as official Babyproofer. I can't wait to make a trip to _toysRus_ and buy them out of supplies! I gotta get my laptop. Got a lot of planning to do, and this is just the beginning." Schmidt literally skipped off in the direction of his room and closed the door.

Winston stood up, came over to Nick and shook his hand, patting him on the arm. "Great news guys, really. You know, I was thinking about getting a cat, but this is better. Cats can't talk back. Well, babies can't either, at least not right away, right? I think I'm gonna go take a nap. You should to that too, Jess. I've read that expectant mothers should rest as much as possible." He smiled at Jess, then made his way to his own room.

Jess and Nick still stood by the couch, confused. "So, this is good. Right?" Jess leaned against Nick and put her head on his arm, sighing.

"Yes. Good. It's really good. It seems good. Do you think it's good, Jess? I mean, Schmidt is acting like you just told him you were having HIS baby. Makes me a little nervous." Nick pinched his nose with his thumb and finger and breathed out a slow sigh.

Jess put her arm around his waist and he turned into her body, pulling her close to his chest, circling his arms around her. He kissed her lightly on the top of her head.

"I think maybe we should just be glad the reaction wasn't completely different, count our blessings and move on."

Jess held him tighter. "You know, Nick, before long I won't be able to fit so snugly against you anymore." She looked up into his face, a sly look passing betwen them. "You wanna?"

"Jess, why do you always ask me that? The answer is always gonna be yes. There will never be a time I will have any other response to that question."

"Good." Jess took hold of his arm with both hands, pulling him toward her room. "So does this mean you're finally gonna let me call you Big Daddy in bed now?" Jess wiggled her eyebrows at him.

Nick laughed and scrunched up his face. "Jess, will you please stop asking me THAT. The answer to that is ALWAYS gonna be no."

They laughed loudly as they moved inside her room and closed the door.


	5. Chapter 5

**This chaper is slighty M-ish. Just so you know.**

Jess stood under the warm water of the shower, staring down at her protruding belly. At six months, it was no longer possible to hide under Nick's flannels and leggings. Mesmerized, Nick watched as she ran her hands in circles around her stomach.

This was the first time she had allowed him back into the shower with her since finding out she was pregnant. She had felt emotionally insecure about her changing body, and had asked him to respect her feelings. A little disappointed, Nick had pushed his own feelings aside and agreed to whatever made her comfortable. In the bedroom, this included periods of "not now Nick" vs hasty lights-out, under the covers only sex.

This morning, after a breakfast of Rice Krispies with chocolate milk, Jess had looked over at him with a funny expression he couldn't read. "Hey Nick...so, you wanna help me out with something?"

Taking his last bite of cereal, Nick had picked up his bowl and slurped the remaining liquid. Milk drippled down his chin as he looked over at her and raised his eyebrows. "Sure, Jess. What do ya need?"

"Oh, you know, just having some trouble reaching...parts...in the shower."

Nick slowly put his bowl down, white droplets still clinging to his face as his jaw dropped open slightly. "Uhhhh. Yeah. Yes. I can, uh...definitely help you...with that."

Jess got up from the table and walked in the direction of the bathroom, turning to smile shyly at him. Nick jumped up and quickly followed after her, trying to keep his breathing even and under control.

Now he stood next to her, gazing up and down her naked body. Excitement flooded him at the sight of Jess standing under the cascading water, her hands holding her stomach. She looked up at him and bit her lip, giggling at the way his face seemed to be frozen into a mask of wonder.

"Nick, you're going to have to exhale at some point. I'm starting to feel a little self-conscious here. Is something wrong?" She looked down, nervously taking a deep breath.

Nick's eyes widened and he moved closer to her, cupping her chin and raising it up to meet his gaze. "Wrong? Jess...you are incredible...breathtaking." He moved his hands to cover her stomach, gripping it lightly. Water continued to run down her body and over his hands. He looked back up into her eyes and leaned in for a soft, slow kiss.

They drew apart, and Jess breathed out shakily, still nervous about how her body had morphed into what she joked was like an "alien vessel." The little one inside her picked that moment to assert itself. Nick yelped in surprise, as he felt a small poke from the side of her belly.

He quickly looked up at her and broke into a wide grin. "Was that? Did the baby just move? Is that what that was?"

Jess shook her head yes, giggling again, and moving her hands around, she tried to catch the feeling again with her own hands. She felt another stab and laughed out loud. She had felt the baby move before, but she was really digging Nick's reaction to it now.

He laughed as he felt the baby move again. Jess looked up at him and rubbed his cheek with her free hand. "Is this freaking you out?"

Nick's eyes widened again and he laughed. "Are you kidding? This is the coolest thing I have ever seen! You have our baby in there." He ran his hands around her stomach, rubbing all over. Jess moaned softly.

"So, you wanna help me? I was kind of serious about needing some help."

Nick sobered, "Yeah, of course. What do you need?"

Jess took her yellow bath puff, squeezed her green apple shower gel onto it and handed it to Nick. She turned around, facing the spray, and offered her back to him.

He gently began moving the puff around her shoulders, then down her shoulder blades. He caressed her lower back, letting the suds run down her round bottom and down her legs. "That's really nice," she whispered, turning around to face him again.

Nick swallowed and moved the sponge to her chest, rubbing in circles across the front of her, lingering on her recently plumped up breasts. She moaned a little louder, enjoying the feeling of both his eyes and his hands on her body. She had missed this, the closeness of being completely naked and open with him. She felt free again.  
Nick slowly covered the rest of her body in suds, then guided her under the shower spray to rinse off. He watched as the soap disappeared and he was left with just her pure, soft body to admire. "Jess, you are so beautiful."

Jess turned around swifly and grabbed his face, hastily pressing her lips onto his. He moaned loudly and kissed her back, letting the passion between them escalate to a new level that neither had ever felt before. Nick slid his arm around her neck and swung her legs up into, carrying her out into the hall and to her bedroom.

He layed her down on the comforter, almost overcome at the image of her perfect body. He had done some reading in the last few months, wanting to be sensitive to her unique needs during these months. He climbed into bed with her, taking her body in different positions, paying close attention to the verbal and emotional signals gave.

Afterward, Jess was laying on her side, Nick's head resting on her abdomen. He stroked her belly and hummed softly. She couldn't remember him ever humming before. She recognized it as a tune to one of the songs Sadie's little girl sang, from one of her tv shows.

"Nick have you been watching children's programming? How do you know that song?"

He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. "Uh, technicallly, yes. I might have turned on a kid's channel one day. Research. Gotta get familiar with these things early, Jess."

She ran her hands thought his wavy hair. He had stopped shaving in the last few months and now had a neatly trimmed beard and slightly longer hair. It was manly and sexy. She liked it.

"Nick, I just want you to know something. I have never been happier than I am right now. I know I've had a lot of different emotional up and down the past few months, but I am so excited to have this baby with you. You are going to make an amazing father."

Nick let the warmth of her words sink in, letting all his fears and uncertainties fade away. He let himself enjoy the moment. Moving his head up to rest on the pillow next to her, he stared straight into her eyes. "Jessica. I am crazy in love with you. My life has not been the same since I met you. And now we have this...connection...that's gonna be forever. I know, I'm getting all mushy here. Just want you to know...I can't wait to start this new adventure with you."

Jess blushed and smiled at his heartfelt words. Kind of out of character for Nick, but maybe he was changing a little bit. He had always been a romantic, he just seemed to be really clear on his feelings of late. And he was strangely unafraid to express them.

Jess decided not to overanalyze it, and leaned her face closer to his as he brushed his lips against hers with aching sweetness.

_Yeah_, she thought, _definitely the start of someting amazing here_.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey, how you feeling?

Tired. Busy day.

Take it easy, don't work so hard.

I'm trying. I'm giving a test right now.

On what?

The Reproductive system ;-)

Really now?

Yeah, that was a fun class. The visual aids were strange though.

Is that the one day you brought peaches, bananas and cucumbers to work?

Yep. lol.

I thought that was a weird lunch. So, did you show them?

Show them what?

Your unique expertise on how to put on a condom.

Ha, if I was that much of an expert, I'd actually be able to look down and see my feet right now.

Sorry, I guess I helped with that one.

I guess you did :-)

So, you done at 3?

Yeah, but then I have a parent/teacher conference til 4.

Bummer. I really want you to be resting more.

I know, I'm going right home after.

You need anything?

Yeah, a crossword puzzle book, a laxative and a large glass of pink wine :-/

Wow, the first one I can handle, the second one, just eww...

Third one not happening, huh?

Nope. Sorry.

Man, why is it women can't have a drink during the nine months they _really _need one?

Just one of life's cruel tricks I guess.

I guess.

So, you're serious about the laxative?

Sadly, yes.

No problem.

Not for you.

Ouch. Sorry.

Not your fault, a little irritated.

At 8 months, you're allowed to be.

So, we haven't talked names in a while.

Yeah, where'd we leave off?

I think you were thinking Mary Jane, Pepper and Lois

All great names, right?

All super hero girlfriends, no thanks

So Fanny, Eleanor and Jane are that much better?

They are classic novel heroines, Nick.

Yeah, I'm not giving my kid a Jane Austen name, pass

You know Jane Austen? Wow, Nick I'm impressed

Well, you read those books constantly, I pay attention, sometimes

Well, two points for you, Larry Byrd

Wow, now I'm impressed!

So what about boys names?

So you definitely ruled out The Rock, right?

Definitely.

So I guess Maddox, Blanket and Pilot Inspektor are also off the table?

Uh, yeah, thank God we're not famous.

Speak for yourself, wait til my zombie novel gets published!

Nick, you wrote one draft, and it had 6 word searches in it.

I'm gonna get around to it, soon.

I'm sure you are.

We're kinda busy lately.

Yeah, I'm busy building a baby with my body, what are you doing?

Wow, you get really snarky when you're tired, you know.

Pregnancy pass?

Absolutely.

So, you're working til 1am?

Yeah, but maybe I could get Bob to cover for me so I can leave early

Don't you need the hours?

Yeah, but Schimdt and Winston are both gone til tomorrow

You don't have to, Nick, I'm okay by myself tonight

Well maybe I just miss you

You miss me, Miller?

Mmhmm

That's sweet :-)

You know what else is sweet?

What?

Your bum.

My bum? lol Did you just give my butt a British name?

Yeah, is that cool?

Totally cool. So any other nicknames you wanna give my body?

You mean besides The Queen

You named it that, Jess. You also coined The King.

Well, it just fit really well.

Yeah, he fits in well alright.

Ugh, Nick, I'm buying you your own jar :-p

Sorry, that was a little Schmidt-ish

The King and the Queen haven't met up in a while, have they?

Nope. So, you wanna get them back together soon?

How about tonight, can you handle it, Sir?

Yeah I can handle it, but what about you, I thought you were tired

Yeah, but the Queen is missing the King a lot...like A LOT

Is she? So is she gonna wear that black lacy thing you bought last week?

Hey! How did you know I bought that?

It fell out of the bag

It fell out?

Yeah, when I dumped the bag upside down lol

I see. Ok, so do I get to pick what you wear?

Anything you want Milady ;-)

White shirt. Black tie. That's it.

You really like me in a suit, huh?

Yeah, but you won't be needing the pants this time.

You got it.

These little meetings are getting more difficult the more pregnant I get

Yeah, that last time was tricky

Guess we're gonna have to get creative

I guess so ;-D

I was doing some reading about that

Really?

Yeah, really cool website had some _interesting_ suggestions

What's the website? I wanna see

Just sent it to your email

Ok, I'm looking at it now.

Ah the powers of your fancy new iPhone

Yeah, I figured once you're about to be a father, time to upgrade from pre-paid

So what do you think?

I think...I'm liking what I see

Yeah? What do you like?

Well, number one, we've done that

Uh huh, that one works good

Mmmm, yeah it does. Number five is new, you think you can do that?

I think so. How about number seven?

I don't know if _I_ can pull off that one, Jess

I think...we have all night, we can...experiment

Sounds amazing, if you can stay awake long enough for even one of them, I'll be happy

Gonna warn you now, my legs aren't shaved.

That's okay, stubble is sexy ;-)

So, you're home early then?

Uh, actually, I think I'm calling into work tonight

Really?

Yeah, I feel something coming on

I feel it too, it's hot and kind of achy

Yeah...

And it's making me a little itchy...

Uh huh...

Think you could help me scratch an itch tonight, Miller?

Absolutely. You want me to pick you up at 4?

I have my car.

Yeah, and you can barely fit behind the wheel anymore.

I'm about to go on maternity leave anyway, its fine Nick

I'm driving you to and from work til then, no arguments

You're my hero!

Yeah, yeah, just taking care of my woman

Ooh, love it when you call me your woman, so sexy

I'll call anything you want later, Queenie

Deal. So I'll see you at 4 then, _My Liege?_

Ughh...as you wish, _Milady_.


	7. Chapter 7

Jess shifted uncomfortably on the couch, trying to find a position that didn't provoke her now almost constant urge to pee. She had abandoned her bed about halfway through the night hoping to find a place where her 8 1/2 month pregnant body could actually get some rest.

Nick had gotten home from the bar around 1:30 pm and was currently out cold in the middle of her bed. Jess didn't want to wake him with her constant shifting, so here she sat, at 3:42am, watching a group of women on tv talk about the best way to get rid of unwanted hair. Jess googled the highly praised product they were discussing on her phone, curious to see how much that _way _cost in actual dollars. Apparently six easy payments of $89.99.

But Jess had more important things on her mind these days. Like hemorrhoids, and why they needed to exist. And the fact that her ankles were so swollen, they looked like they belonged to their 79 year old neighbor, Esther Jones. And also, how her tiny body was going to push out a six or seven pound human.

She tried not to freak out about that last one, as she looked down at her ridiculously large belly. How is it possible that a body can stretch that much? Sadie had told her that the baby's weight was normal for how far along she was, but it really amazed her sometimes how large her tummy had become.

Nick was fascinated with how her body had changed. He told her constantly how he thought pregnant ladies were sexy. She usually just rolled her eyes at him and sighed. He didn't seem to be able to stop touching her whenever they were in the same space. Rubbing her back or leaning his head down on her shoulder. If she was moody, she'd groan and push him away. Or sometimes, when the pregnancy hormones made her...twirly, she'd encourage him with moans and leering eyes until he gave her what she wanted.

Jess leaned on her side and thought about how Nick had reacted when she first told him about the baby. She smiled at the memory of Nick taking her size 2 body behind the bar that night. And the way they were in her second trimester, when things between them had started to heat up again. She missed those days, when they would have sex three, four, even five times a week, like teenagers in love. Lately, she was just too miserable to do anything but eat, shower and sleep.

Frustrated with her physical incapabilities, she leaned back against her pillow and thought back to her third and fourth month. She was just getting over the endless days of morning sickness, and felt a sudden burst of new energy taking over her body. It made her want to clean and re-organize and bake all types of sweets. It made her want to drag Nick to a hundred boutiques and consignment stores looking for everything they would need for the baby.

And it made her want Nick. Bad. She had read in a magazine how, during the second trimester, women usually found themselves with a renewed energy and along with that, a surge in their labido. She thought about one night in particular.

_Standing in front of her bedroom mirror, Jess twisted her body left and right, looking at the new pink maternity teddy she had bought. CeCe had picked her up from school that afternoon and told Jess that they were going shopping for some new clothes. Jess had actually found some cute tops and a pair of stretchy jeans in a couple of the maternity stores. Then CeCe insisted they find her something sexy. "And it's on me."_

_"CeCe, I don't know. How I am even going to find something that will fit my weird body?" She was currently wearing one of Nick's flannels and a pair of black leggings._

_"Jess, trust me. These shops have __everything you could want...and a lot more." CeCe grabbed Jess' hand and pulled her through the front door of a store called Momma-licious. Jess' eyes grew wide at two large mannekins in black leather lace-ups with large breasts and big round stomachs. She and CeCe moved through the store, past the novelty sex-toy aisle and onto endless racks and every type of lace outfit she had seen in regular stores, just specially made for the knocked-up._

_Jess stood to the side in her room, looking at her reflection and slid her hand down over her belly, trying to determine if it had gotten any bigger since yesterday. At four months, there was a definite bump visible, and her breasts were as Nick had put it "pretty damn incredible looking."_

_She heard the loft door slam shut and she panicked and ran towards her bed, jumping onto it sliding halfway off the side. She hastily grabbed a pillow on her way down to the floor and attempted to hide herself behind it._

_Nick stood in the door way with an eyebrow raised. "Uh, what are you doing?"_

_Jess attempted a light-hearted laugh. "Me? What am I doing? I think it's pretty obvious what I'm doing Nick."_

_Nick raised both eyebrows and leaned his head toward her. "No, actually. Not obvious. Wanna give me a clue here?"_

_Jess thought for a minute, "Uh...pilates! I'm doing pilates!"_

_Nick sat down on the floor next to her and took the pillow away, eyeing her new purchase. "You're doing pilates? In a pink lace nightie?" He smirked at her nervousness and grabbed her arms, helping her up and onto the bed. Jess sat playing with her hands while Nick squeezed the pillow and tilted his head to the side, trying to catch her eye._

_Nick touched the edge of her gown, rubbing it between his fingers. "This is nice. Is it new?" Jess kept looking down, and shook her head. Nick reached over and ran his hand across her belly. "I like it. I like seeing your...bump."_

_Jess looked at him then and laughed. He laughed with her. "Why were you trying to hide?"_

_She looked down again and shrugged. "It's the first maternity thing I've worn. I wasn't sure how you were going to feel about seeing me...like this."_

_Nick took her face in his hands, and she looked into his eyes. "For the record, Jess...you have never looked better." He leaned in and kissed her, feeling her relax against him._

_She moved her hands up to his chest and rested them there, while they melted into each other. Jess let out a long, sexy sigh. When they broke apart, she looked him straight in the eye._

_"I want you Nick. I don't know what's happening to me, but I have never wanted you more." She grabbed his face and smashed her mouth against his, letting out a long moan._

_Nick responded immediately, lifing her body up and onto his lap, her legs surrounding him tightly. They kissed for several minutes, her body slowly being taken over by a crazy, erotic pull. She moved his hands down between them and he rested them on her stomach. She moved back and looked deep into his eyes. She felt their connection, deep and passionate. She knew this man would follow her anywhere, whether it be parenthood or her principal's backyard jacooz in the middle of the night._

"Hey." Jess shook her head, coming back to the reality of her watermelon sized belly. Nick sat down beside her on the couch and rubbed her leg gently. "Couldn't sleep?"

Jess shook her head and sat up, leaning over onto Nick's shoulder. He slid his arm around her and she sighed heavily. "We're almost there."

He breathed out slowly. "Yep. We are. How are you feeling?"

Jess closed her eyes, feeling his hand moving in circles on her back, instantly comforted. "Good. And scared. And bloated. And terrified. And happy. And...good."

"We can do this, Jess. I'm going to be there for you, every second. You and the baby, you're my life now. This...this right now, is what I never knew I always wanted."

Jess smiled and layed her head down in his lap. Nick stroked her hair until she fell asleep. As she drifted off she felt a new sense of peace. Whatever was next, they were in it together, and they were ready.


	8. Chapter 8

**This chapter veers into the M category. Just a friendly warning! Don't forget to review!**

Jess wedged her body into center of the living room couch, groaning loudly. "Is this real life?"

Winston laughed at her "David" Youtube reference. Nick sat at the other end of the couch, finishing his second beer of the night. He had promised Jess he would try to limit his alcohol intake, especially while she couldn't have any. Schmidt sat at the kitchen island with his laptop.

Jess had reached her due date. Yesterday. And still no baby. Jess had never been so uncomfortable in her life. Her back hurt nearly constantly, her feet were swollen and she didn't ever want to hear the word _hemorrhoid_, ever, _ever _again.

Winston had brought home a bunch of take out and store bought foods that Jess had heard might cause labor to start. After eating a spicy burrito, a plate of spaghetti with oregano and an entire can of pineapples, she had almost collapsed at the shortness of breath she felt with her full stomach.

Next her and Nick had walked up and down the building stairwells. Her feet were killing her afterward, but still nothing.

"Okay, guys, I've been reading this article on this pregnancy website. Yeah, Jess, I know you watched that Friends episode and you think you know all the home remedies for getting labor going, but just humor me here, okay?"

Jess sighed and layed her head on the back of the couch. "Alright, Schmidt, go ahead. I am at the point where I may actually consider listening to _you_ about this. Shoot."

Schmidt scrolled down and clicked the Next Page button, stopping for a second before saying what Jess had pretty much already expected him to say. "Well, sex is one way. How bout it, Nick, you up for that one?"

Nick stood up quickly and paced back and forth across the length of the couch. "Uh uh. No way. Jess is nine months pregnant here guys! Don't you think that could be a little bit dangerous for the baby? Not taking any chances with that one. Next, please."

Schmidt looked at the web page, then back up at Nick. "Uh, well this one is actually pretty similar. Stimulate the nipples."

Nick looked sharply at Schmidt and tried to control himself, "Do NOT say _that_ out loud again. I want you to go fill up that jar with cash right now, Schmidt!"

Schmidt held up his hands defensively. "Whoa, Nick, this is not my idea. It's on the website as doctor recommended. Really, dude. You have to chill a little bit, man."

Jess groaned again, unable to listen to them going back and forth for one more minute. "I'm going to my room." She stopped and caught Nick's eye, "You coming?"

Nick shot Schmidt a warning look and followed Jess into her room, closing the door behind them.

Jess sat on the bed and looked at Nick, waiting for him to say something. He watched quietly as the expectant look become a silent plea. "No, Jess. I told you, I'm not doing it."

Jess let out an enlongated whine, "Pleeeeeeease, Nick. I'm miserable. Please?"

Nick sat down next to her and took her hand, gently kissing it. "Jess, I'm not doing anything until we hear from Sadie that it is 100% safe. We have an appointment tomorrow morning. Can you keep your hands off me til then?" He laughed softly and she laughed with him.

"Well, I've had a lot of practice these last few months, Nick. I think I can deal with one more night."

~N/J~

Jess and Nick sat in Exam Room 4, waiting for Sadie to come in. Jess was overdue by two days now and was beyond frustrated. She blew out a long breath and tapped her foot anxiously against the side of the exam table. Nick had kept his distance from her today, as she seemed to be in one of her aggressively emotional moods.

A few moments later, Sadie came finally came in, wearing blue scrubs and matching blue crocs.

"Hey guys. Sorry about the wait. I literally just finished a c-section at the hospital like thirty minutes ago. I got here as quick as I could."

Jess stayed quiet, which prompted Nick to speak up in the uncomfortable silence.

"That's okay. We're good. It's good." Nick swiped his hand over his now full beard, a nervous habit he had aquired before he grew it, but had practiced habitually in the last few months.

"Well, it looks like you're in the home stretch now, Jess. How are you feeling?"

Sadie took no offense as Jess practically glared at her.

"How am I feeling? How am I _FEELING_?" She laughed a mirthless laugh, turning to Nick and speaking in a low sidebar, "She wants to know how I'm _feeling_." Nick sat staring at the multi-colored carpet, trying not to make eye contact with either one of them.

"Well, let's see, Sadie. I am now nine months and two days pregnant, so...how does a person who has been with child two hundred and seventy two days usually feel?"

Sadie laid her hand on Jess' shoulder, and spoke to her with compassion. "I know it's been difficult, but you're doing great, Jess. You are past your due date. We've been checking the baby's weight and it has always been normal and your health has been good. It usually just makes sense to let nature take it's course when the time is right."

As Jess' eyes widened Sadie quickly cut her off, "But...as we discussed before, we won't let you go more than a week past your due date. So, what we're gonna do is schedule you to be induced. But first, let's check your progress and just see if anything's brewing already. Have you been having any regular contractions?"

Jess sighed and looked guiltily up at her. "Hey Sadie, I'm sorry I was short with you. You're one of my best friends and I..." Jess started to tear up and Nick grabbed her hand, circling his other arm around her shoulders. He had ridden this emotional roller coaster with her for the last several months. He had the comfort part down cold by now.

"Jess, hey, it's fine. You think you're the first expectant mom to come in here and try to box with me? Don't give it another thought, honey. So, contractions?" Sadie waited patiently as Jess wiped at her eyes and composed herself.

"Um...yeah. Yes. Well, not exactly regular, but I've been having them for the past two weeks. I've tried to time them before, but they're always far apart."

"Okay. Well, your body is preparing itself for labor, and any contractions you might be having at this point could be still furthering your dilaton progress. Why don't we check and see what's going on, ya?"

Sadie did a quick exam, determining that Jess was now three centimeters dilated and fifty percent effaced. "See, so you are making progress, it's just been a little slower than you would like."

"Yeah, well, last week we were watching that Friends episode. You know, the one where Rachel is overdue, and they try all kinds of different things to get her to go into labor? Well, we've tried all those things, except one." Jess glanced over at Nick who was now looking intently up at the ceiling.

Sadie laughed. "You mean sex? Yeah, I love that episode! Yes, all the things they tried on the show have been know to induce labor. And, yes...sex is one of them. Is that a problem for you guys?"

Nick spoke up quickly, "Is sex a problem? No. Nope. Not a problem for me. I am a strong, capable man! I once bench pressed 180! Yeah, that was ten years ago, but I can get the job done." He looked instantly embarrassed at his own sudden outburst.

The subject of sex was a touchy one of late. Jess had been feeling more energetic as her body was going through "nesting" and preparing itself for the baby. She had approached Nick several times in the last couple weeks. Repeating his fear of hurting the baby, he would then immediately get up and run outside yelling, "I gotta move my car!"

Jess wanted answers. "So, is it really safe, Sadie?"

"Absolutely. You are not going to hurt the baby, Nick. Intercourse has been known to kick start things, which is what you want right now. I'm not gonna tell you guys what to do here, I just want you to have the facts. Semen contains prostaglandins, and that can help get the cervex ready for labor. Also, when a woman has an orgasm, it releases oxytocin, which is a natural labor hormone. So, sex can really help your progress and it's also a pretty good stress reliever too."

Nick looked over at Jess, trying not to let her know that his resolve was already weakening. He was never one to turn down sex before. And hearing how it may actually help Jess, that really tipped things over in her favor. He let his eyes silently communicate to her, _We'll discuss this later_.

"So, okay guys. Let's get you an admission date." Sadie flipped through her iPad, checking the hospital schedule. "Today's Monday, so...how does Friday morning at nine sound?"

Jess sniffed, and felt herself calming down. So there was a light at the end of the tunnel!

"That sounds awesome, Sadie. I just want to say...I really appreciate all you've done for me the last nine months. I know you had to get tired of me blowing up your phone with texts every time I had a weird feeling or a question."

Sadie laughed and hugged Jess. "That's what friends are for."

~N/J~

Jess laid back against the pillows Nick had propped up for her. He sat cross legged in front of her on the bed and breathed out a heavy sigh. "So, I have no problem with the nipple thing. The only problem is, the nipple thing usually pretty quickly leads to the sex thing."

Jess gave him her most seductive smile as she slowly unbuttoned her flannel night shirt. With each button that was released came more milky, smooth skin. She knew he couldn't resist her once she started getting naked. She was going to bed down Nick Miller that night if it was the last thing she did.

Shrugging the shirt off her shoulders, she raised her body up and moved her now completely nude body directly in front of Nick. Her large stomach rested against the tips of his knees. Her breasts were enormous. He let out an audible gasp at the increased size of them just within the last month.

Nick had told her before, her breasts were irresistible to him. He usually took any and every opportunity to touch them that she allowed. "You're not going to win this one, Nicholas. Fighting it is futile. Now grab one of these monstrosities and go to town!"

Nick's breathing was erratic at this point. He reached over and closed his hand over her right breast, squeezing it gently. Jess closed her eyes and moaned softly at his touch. It had been a while since he had touched her like this, and she let herself savor the moment, forgetting for a minute her original purpose.

She quickly recovered and whispered to him, "My nipples. You need to...stimulate them. Can you handle that, Miller?"

He took to the challenge just like she knew he would, his finger and thumb rubbing her right nipple the way he knew she liked. She moaned a little louder before encouraging him further. "Now the left one" He quickly started rubbing her left nipple at the same time, Jess' arousal level reaching it's peak.

Feeling like she might drop off the edge just from this alone, she almost forgot her ultimate goal. "Please, Nick. Please make love to me." Jess reached over and pressed her palm against his arousal. She knew he was as crazy with desire as she was. She knew she had him.

Nick sprung forward, pushing her back onto her pillows, spreading her thighs and rubbing her in circles there, bringing her closer...closer. He quickly moved behind her and pushed into her, holding her leg up and grasping it firmly. It only took a few thrusts and he came undone inside her. She quickly followed after him, letting the shock waves crash over her body again and again.

Nick kissed her ear and whispered softly, "Happy now?"

Jess laughed victoriously. "Yup."

Ten minutes later, her water broke.


End file.
